Northwest Indian College

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Northwest Indian College
Xwlemi Elh > Tal > Nexw Squl
Wide Logo 2 - Red Name, Gray Tag.png
Former names
Lummi Indian School of Aquaculture, Lummi Community College
MottoThrough education, Northwest Indian College promotes Indigenous self-determination and knowledge.
Motto in English
Building People, Building Nations
Type Public tribal land-grant community college
Established1973 (1973)
President Dr. Lexie Tom
Academic staff
100 (33 full-time, 67 part-time) [1] [ needs update ]
Undergraduates 1000 (2025)
Address
2522 Kwina Rd.
,
Bellingham, Washington
,
U.S.

48°47′39″N122°36′51″W / 48.79417°N 122.61417°W / 48.79417; -122.61417
CampusUrban/Suburban Lummi Nation (main campus) reserve, Swinomish, Tulalip, Port Gamble S'Klallam, Muckleshoot, Nisqually, and Nez Perce.
Affiliations AIHEC
Website www.nwic.edu
Northwest Indian College
[2]

Northwest Indian College (Xwlemi Elh>Tal>Nexw Squl [3] ) is a public tribal land-grant community college in Bellingham, Washington, United States. It was established by the Lummi Nation and is the only accredited tribal college or university serving reservation communities of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. [4] [5]

Contents

History

NWIC was created in response to the higher education needs of American Indians, particularly geographically isolated populations that have no other means accessing education beyond the high school level. [4]

The institution began in 1973 as the Lummi Indian School of Aquaculture, which was established to provide local technicians for employment in Indian-owned and operated fish and shellfish hatcheries in the United States and Canada. In 1983, the Lummi Nation chartered the Lummi Community College to fulfill the need for a more comprehensive post-secondary education for tribal members. [6]

The Lummi Community College campaigned for accreditation by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities in 1988. [5] The commission affirmed accreditation in 1993, and Lummi Community College became Northwest Indian College. [6] One year later, the college was designated a land-grant college alongside 31 other tribal colleges. [7]

Years of program expansion and dedication resulted in the college gaining accreditation by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities as a four-year, baccalaureate degree-granting institution, effective September 2008. [5] [8]

In May 2025, NWIC announced the Board of Trustees appointed Dr. Lexie Tom as the first-ever Lummi Nation Tribal Member and NWIC alumna to serve as President. Tom previously served as Interim President and the Education Director of Lummi Nation School prior to that.

Previously, Dr. Justin Guillory (Nez Perce Tribe), served as President from 2012-2024 and moved on to become President at Whatcom Community College.

Academics

NWIC offers Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Associate of Arts and Sciences, Associate of Science (Transfer), Associate of Applied Science (Transfer), and Associate of Technical Arts degrees. [9] As of 2011, it was one of seven tribal colleges in the U.S. to offer a degree related to tribal administration. [10]

The college is an open enrollment school, meaning no SAT or ACT scores are needed to apply. [11]

Campus

Buildings on the NWIC Lummi campus Northwest Indian College at dusk.jpg
Buildings on the NWIC Lummi campus

Northwest Indian College is an accredited four-year college located on the Lummi Indian Reservation in Washington state, near the city of Bellingham. In addition the NWIC's main campus in Lummi, the college has five sites located in Tulalip, Port Gamble S'Klallam, Muckleshoot, Nisqually, and Nez Perce. [12]

Partnerships

NWIC is a member of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), which is a community of tribally and federally-chartered institutions working to strengthen tribal nations and make a lasting difference in the lives of American Indians and Alaska Natives. [4]

Scholarships are available through the American Indian College Fund (AICF) and the NWIC Foundation. [13]

References

  1. ↑ "College Navigator - Northwest Indian College". National Center for Education Statistics . Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Northwest Indian College". U.S. News & World Report . Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  3. ↑ 2017–2019 College Catalog
  4. 1 2 3 American Indian Higher Education Consortium Archived 2012-06-14 at the Wayback Machine
  5. 1 2 3 "Commission Grants NWIC Four-year Accreditation". Tribal College Journal . 22 (2). Winter 2010.
  6. 1 2 "Our Story". Northwest Indian College. Archived from the original on April 14, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  7. ↑ "NIFA 1994s The First 20 Years of the 1994 Land-Grant Institutions Standing on Tradition, Embracing the Future" (PDF). National Institute of Food and Agriculture. September 25, 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 29, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Northwest Indian College announces successful accreditation as four-year degree granting institution". Northwest Indian College. Archived from the original on April 14, 2012. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Programs of Study and Awards of Completion". NWIC.edu. Northwest Indian College. 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  10. ↑ Ronquillo, John C. (March–April 2011). "American Indian Tribal Governance and Management: Public Administration Promise or Pretense?". Public Administration Review. 71 (2): 285–292. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-6210.2011.02340.x . JSTOR   41061189. S2CID   153911704.
  11. ↑ "Northwest Indian College (NWIC)". Campus Explorer. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Northwest Indian College Sites". Northwest Indian College. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
  13. ↑ "Financial Resources". Northwest Indian College. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
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